This document provides information about conducting interviews for research purposes. It begins by stating the objectives of understanding what interviews are, their significance for research studies, ethics around conducting interviews, types of interview questions, and how to analyze interview data. It then defines interviews as a method of data collection involving questions and answers between two or more people. Further notes specify that interviews are useful for gathering detailed information on complex topics. The document outlines ethics around inclusiveness, withdrawing consent, minimizing harm, permission, honesty, acceptance, anonymization, and data confidentiality. It describes three main types of interviews: structured, unstructured, and semi-structured. It concludes by explaining inductive and deductive approaches to qualitative analysis of interview data through the

1. TOPIC 8:
INTERVIEWS

2. OBJECTIVES OF THE TOPIC
AT THE END OF THE LESSON STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE
TO:
UNDERSTAND WHAT IS INTERVIEWS, ITS SIGNIFICANCE
IN RESEARCH STUDIES, THE ETHICS IN CONDUCTING
INTERVIEWS, THE TYPES OF INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
AND HOW TO ANALYZE DATA FROM INTERVIEWS.

3. WHAT IS INTERVIEWS?
Interviews are a method of data collection
that involves two or more people
exchanging information through a series of
questions and answers.

4. MORE NOTES ON INTERVIEWS
? The questions are designed by a researcher to elicit
information from interview participants on a specific
topic or set of topics.
? Interviews are an excellent way to gather detailed
information.
? Interviews are also useful when your topic is rather
complex, requires lengthy explanation, or needs a
dialogue between two people to thoroughly
investigate.
https://scientificinquiryinsocialwork.pressbooks.com/chapter/13-1-interview-research-
what-is-it-and-when-should-it-be-used/

5. “An interview is generally a qualitative
research technique which involves asking open-ended
questions to converse with respondents and collect
elicit data about a subject.”

6. Interview Ethics:
Tips to Consider
https://www.slideshare.net/JoanneFrawley/interview-ethics

7. Interview Ethics: Tips to Consider
INCLUSIVENESS
? Think of the specific needs of the person you
are interviewing and try to make them as
comfortable as possible.

8. Interview Ethics: Tips to Consider
WITHDRAWING CONSENT
? It should be explained to the person that they
have the right to opt out of the interview at any
point
? They are also free to pass or skip any question if
they do not feel comfortable answering it

9. Interview Ethics: Tips to Consider
MINIMIZE HARM
? You should do no harm to the person when interviewing
them
? You should avoid any situations or activities that could
cause the person distress or upset
? This includes avoiding asking questions that the person
might find difficult to answer or emotionally upsetting

10. Let’s review some mysterious concepts
PERMISSION
? You should explain the specific purpose
and nature of the interview to the person
? You should then ask them to give their
explicit written consent to participate.

11. Let’s review some mysterious concepts
HONESTY
? You should be honest with the person you are
interviewing about the nature and purpose of
the interview

12. Let’s review some mysterious concepts
ACCEPTANCE
? It is your responsibility to acknowledge that the
person you are interviewing has a right to their
own opinions and beliefs about the topic.
? You may not share these beliefs or they might be
different from your opinion but it is important
that the person feels listened to and their opinion
is respected.

13. Let’s review some mysterious concepts
ANONYMIZATION
? The person being interviewed has a right to
protect their identity.
? You can choose not to refer to them by name in
the interview.
? Alternatively you can choose a fake name or
Pseudonym to refer to them during the interview
? Do not store personal information and interview
recordings in the same place

14. Let’s review some mysterious concepts
CONFIDENTIALITY & DATA PROTECTION
? You should not keep the person’s
information in any format for any longer
than necessary

16. Types of Interviews
questions in
Research

17. TYPES OF INTERVIEWS
? Structured Interviews
? Semi-Structured Interviews
? Unstructured Interviews
https://www.questionpro.com/blog/types-of-interviews/

18. Structured Interviews
Consist of a series of pre-determined
questions that all interviewees answer in
the same order. Data analysis usually
tends to be more straightforward because
researcher can compare and contrast
different answers given to the same
questions.
https://research-methodology.net/research-methods/qualitative-research/interviews/

19. Unstructured Interviews
are usually the least reliable from research
viewpoint, because no questions are prepared
prior to the interview and data collection is
conducted in an informal manner. Unstructured
interviews can be associated with a high level of
bias and comparison of answers given by
different respondents tends to be difficult due to
the differences in formulation of questions.

20. Semi-Structured Interviews
Contain the components of both, structured and
unstructured interviews. In semi-structured
interviews, interviewer prepares a set of same
questions to be answered by all interviewees. At
the same time, additional questions might be
asked during interviews to clarify and/or further
expand certain issues.

21. EXAMPLES
STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS
UNSTRUCTURED INTERVIEWS
� What are the
advantages and
disadvantages of
accounting
software you used
in your last job?
� How would you
handle a
customer
unhappy with the
service they
received?
� Tell us about
yourself.
� What are your
strengths and
weaknesses?
SEMI STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS
� How do you handle
stress?
� How do you react
to criticism?

22. METHODS

23. HOW TO ANALYZE
INTERVIEW DATA?
There are two main approaches to
qualitative
analysis: inductive and deductive.
https://www.rev.com/blog/analyze-interview-transcripts-in-qualitative-research

24. WHAT IS INDUCTIVE?
Inductive reasoning works the other way, moving from
specific observations to broader generalizations and theories.
Informally, we sometimes call this a “bottom up” approach

25. INDUCTIVE

26. ✔ In inductive reasoning, we begin with
specific observations and measures,
✔ begin to detect patterns and
regularities,
✔ formulate some tentative hypotheses
that we can explore,
✔ and finally end up developing some
general conclusions or theories.

27. INDUCTIVE Methods of Analyzing Interview Transcripts
? THEMATIC CONTENT ANALYSIS
? begins with weeding out biases and
establishing your overarching impressions of
the data.
? Rather than approaching your data with a
predetermined framework, identify common
themes as you search the materials
organically.
? Your goal is to find common patterns across
the data set.

28. Inductive Methods of Analyzing Interview Transcripts
? A NARRATIVE ANALYSIS
? involves making sense of your interview
respondents’ individual stories.
? Use this type of qualitative data analysis to
highlight important aspects of their stories
that will best resonate with your readers.
? And, highlight critical points you have found in
other areas of your research.

29. WHAT IS DEDUCTIVE?
Deductive reasoning works from the more general to the
more specific. Sometimes this is informally called a “top-
down” approach.

30. DEDUCTIVE

31. ✔We might begin with thinking up
a theory about our topic of interest.
✔We then narrow that down into more
specific hypotheses that we can test.
✔We narrow down even further when we
collect observations to address the
hypotheses.
✔This ultimately leads us to be able to test
the hypotheses with specific data –
a confirmation (or not) of our original
theories.
https://conjointly.com/kb/deduction-and-induction/

32. DEDUCTIVE Methods of Analyzing Interview Transcripts
? DEDUCTIVE ANALYSIS
? requires a structured or predetermined
approach.
? In this case, the researcher will build
categories in advance of his or her analysis.
? Then, they’ll map connections in the data to
those specific categories.

33. THE END!
Any questions?